Tires for the Sirrus...

Hey all..
Had a quick question. The tires that come on the Sirrus are 700 x 28c..
I wanted to change these out to something thats more versatile, something that would be good for some light trail riding..

I saw the Borough CX Armadillo and thought they were the perfect tire, but they're 700 x 32. Offhand, does anyone know if there's enough clearance for these tires to fit on the Sirrus?

If not, any recommendations on another tire that would be good to use on light dirt trails?

That's not a very big swap...you should be able to tell by looking. If the 28s are close, no go. If there's room, worth a try. You COULD go to a bike shop and ask to try one on, but then you'd be obligated to buy the tires there. Which isn't a bad idea, actually. You'll establish yourself as a customer, and by the time you figure shipping, probably pay about the same as Internet shopping.

jdon - Is the regular Armadillo up for trail riding? The Borough CX's are described as being able to handle pavement as well as light, off-road trails...

It is a tough tire but I would still expect pinch flats pending the trail surface. The Borough is a much better CX tire and I have pounded them through rough trails with lots of rocks and roots and have never had a problem. I would stick to Borough's for trail/road riding.

I'm thinking of doing much the same thing. My local LBS recommended Ritchey Speedmax Cross tires (size 35) which they say will fit and work well. Unfortunately, they're on order, so I can't vouch for them yet, but the mechanics had no doubt that all would be fine.

Hmm... how much of a ride difference would I notice between the All-Conditions sport (28c) and the Borough CX (32c) on paved city roads? Are the CX's noticeably slower and heavier? I'm thinking of switching out and keeping these tires as my everyday use..

I just mounted a 32 on the front and a 30 on the rear of my 2007 Sirrius comp. I borrowed a friends rear wheel with a 35 and put it on but that didn't leave much room for any kind of error. I think 32's would be fine on both ends.

So oddly enough, I have a Sirrus and I run exactly the tire you're asking about. I have a Borough CX up front, and a Houffalize CX on the rear, both 700x32. They fit fine, though a bit tight under fenders. Anything wider than that would start to become uncomfortably tight between the rear chainstays, but in front you could go a good deal wider.

I picked up the tires today (Ritchey Speedmax Cross tires (size 35)) and they fit well with lots of clearance. The bike rides a lot more smoothly, too. Maybe this is because I have the all aluminum 2009 Sport.

That would be a great choice. I'm running them now. They do have side lugs, so they take up a bit of room. Just eyeball it, if you have an extra centimeter of space running 700x28, the 32's will probably fit. They're not rugged trail tires, but they'll let you go places road tires won't.

I see you've already ordered them, but I just wanted to mention that it depends on what model and year of Sirrus you have. In 2009, the base all-aluminum Sirrus has plenty of clearance - I would say you could go 35c easily. But the next up Sirrus with carbon on it has tighter clearance in the rear - there's some more room between the 28c tires it comes stock with and I think there's plenty of room for a 32c tire assuming you don't also have fenders on there (maybe there's room with fenders, just not sure).

Thanks Paul. The tires haven't come in yet, but I have the '07 Sirrus Sport (which is the same as the 09 Sirrus Elite) which has the carbon fork and carbon rear legs. I guess we'll find out soon enough. Thanks for the heads up tho!